Hunt Time

He could have slept for a long time, but Su He forced himself awake after only two days. His turtle shell hadn't shed yet, but the itching sensation all over it was almost unbearable. It would molt in another two or three days at most.

But Su He couldn't wait.

He grabbed a water whip and continuously rinsed the turtle shell, while also repeatedly colliding and rubbing it against the stones. Finally, the shell began to peel off, piece by piece.

Two of the smaller pieces flashed with a green light, revealing the two Spirit Talismans Lu Ming had left behind.

One was a Location Talisman, and the other was a Myriad Force Talisman.

Su He's turtle shell was the perfect medium for talismans.

A flash of inspiration struck Su He. Perhaps in the future, he should save all his shed shell pieces. Setting aside whether they could be used for artifact refining later, collecting them would prevent potential hidden dangers if they fell into the wrong hands.

In a world with cultivation, there were bound to be methods to curse or locate someone using their bodily tissues.

Two days had already passed, and Lu Ming's White Tiger could attack at any moment.

Su He had already chosen a burial ground for it.

It was a small mountain at the bottom of a lake about two miles away. The mountain had a "U"-shaped cave. The cave wasn't small, but it was dark and terrifying.

In reality, there was nothing inside; only fish and shrimp lived there.

The piece of shell bearing the Myriad Force Talisman was embedded in the cave's ceiling, while the Location Talisman and other shell fragments were buried at the cave's bottom. It was a simple trap. It would be good if it worked, but it wouldn't be a big deal if it didn't.

When beasts fight, courage is paramount. Stealth and ambush, those petty tactics—of course, they are also important; they are the foundation of punching above one's weight.

After burying the shell fragments, Su He immediately went to Snake Valley and used a two-point quality wild boar cub to enlist the help of Green Snake.

In the two days they hadn't seen each other, Green Snake had become even more intelligent, its hisses conveying more meaning. It could even exchange a few words with Su He.

Camouflaged by its verdant green color among the water plants, Su He returned to his old profession, burrowing into the mud.

Both snake and turtle are patient predators. The two beasts remained motionless. Su He fought off his sleep until the third day when a wild aura approached him from afar.

They're here!

Five hundred miles away, at the Azure Origin Sect's Law Enforcement Hall, Suppression Prison.

Lu Ming carried a lunchbox, delivering meals to the prisoners in the Suppression Prison. In the Azure Origin Sect, confinement wasn't about reflecting in a room but guarding the Suppression Prison.

The Suppression Prison held the sect's great enemies, prisoners, and evil spirits. Guarding the Suppression Prison, unable to leave, and being forced to stay in one place was no different from confinement.

Of course, they couldn't approach the real Suppression Prison; the guards of the true Suppression Prison were disciples specially trained by the sect. These confined disciples were merely there to help out.

After Lu Ming finished delivering meals to the guarding disciples, he sat under a large tree, his eyes vacant and spiritless, a smile on his face.

Everything was going according to plan.

As expected, with a little trickery, the pampered little princess from the Sect Leader's family had overturned the Beast Taming Valley. The valley was now engulfed in flames, and countless beasts had escaped.

His White Tiger had fled the Beast Taming Valley in a panic half an hour ago. It was now heading rapidly towards Listening Sea Lake.

Lu Ming watched through the White Tiger's vision.

The White Tiger was his Lifebound Beast, so Lu Ming could share its vision. Although he couldn't control or command it, being able to see was enough.

The White Tiger was rushing directly towards its destination, guided by the Location Talisman he had left. Lu Ming held his breath for it.

Faster!

Faster!

This time Feng Ya Ya had released many Pet Beasts. He absolutely could not let other Pet Beasts find that Divine Turtle first.

The Location Talisman indicated the Divine Turtle was just ahead! The White Tiger leaped into the water, heading straight for the location.

Lu Ming licked his lips. It would be fine even in the water. The turtle's shell was inscribed with the Myriad Force Talisman, enough to pin it down and prevent it from moving. Even in the water, it would be at the White Tiger's mercy to be torn apart and devoured.

Just a young Divine Beast that hadn't mastered any Divine Powers yet. Killing it wouldn't be difficult!

"Lu Ming!"

Suddenly, someone called out.

Lu Ming jolted back to reality, immediately severing the telepathic link with the White Tiger, and responded, "Yes!"

Su He held his breath, concentrating.

Closer!

Even closer! Su He burrowed into the mud, remaining motionless. Green Snake, however, swayed gently with the water plants, completely blending into its surroundings.

"Roar!" With a roar, a White Tiger broke through the water's surface and dived into the depths.

This was a colossal White Tiger, its body alone spanning twenty feet. Its every move exuded a wild aura.

As it roared, three stars appeared on the White Tiger's forehead.

Su He's heart clenched.

This was a Three-Star Exotic Beast! Su He had only seen an exotic beast once before: the Slovenly Old Daoist's mount, a camel that was even more addicted to alcohol than its master. When it was drunk, a Profound Moon appeared on its forehead.

Demon Star, Profound Moon, Sun-Eating—these were the three tiers of exotic beasts, corresponding to the Mortal Shedding, Demon Transformation, and Heaven-Treading realms for humans.

The three stars on the White Tiger's forehead indicated it had undergone three turns of the Demon Star stage. It could not be judged by ordinary standards.

Su He and Green Snake became even more cautious, not daring to make the slightest sound. Fortunately, White Tiger breathed with its lungs and couldn't smell anything underwater.

White Tiger plunged into the cave, its eyes gleaming with greed. It had smelled the turtle's scent on the shore just now; it would be a great tonic! Its master's location talisman was here, meaning the turtle had burrowed into the earth.

With a few scoops of its claws, White Tiger dug out several pieces of turtle shell from the soil.

Huh? White Tiger was a bit confused. Just then, a water arrow shot past, exploding against the rocks above its head, sending shards of rock flying. A piece of turtle shell fell from above, drifting down and landing on White Tiger. It was as if a switch had been flipped, and the Myriad Force Talisman on the shell lit up.

It felt like a heavy mountain pressing down on White Tiger's back. White Tiger collapsed with a crash, its entire body bent into a U-shape.

Well done!

Green Snake, having struck successfully, immediately fled. Its position had been exposed, and it didn't know White Tiger's capabilities, so escaping to save its life was the priority.

"Roar!" White Tiger let out a roar, spewing a large amount of bubbles from its mouth and nose. It clawed at the ground, trying to leap up and tear Green Snake apart. However, it was pinned to the ground by the turtle shell. Not only could it not get up, but it couldn't even roll over.

Azure Origin Sect, Suppression Prison.

Lu Ming, who was speaking with an enforcement disciple, clenched his fist slightly. Beautiful! The Myriad Force Talisman he had left behind had been activated, and White Tiger should now be fighting the Divine Turtle.

This Myriad Force Talisman only activated when touched by White Tiger, meaning White Tiger had at least jumped onto the Divine Turtle's back. A White Tiger combined with the tens of thousands of pounds of force from the Myriad Force Talisman.

No matter how divine that turtle was, it could only be devoured by White Tiger.

It was a shame he was being held up by this enforcement disciple and couldn't witness it firsthand. A great regret in life.

Beneath Listening Sea Lake, White Tiger lay on the ground, struggling to dig itself free but unable to rise. Its spine even let out creaking sounds.

It glared furiously at Green Snake: "Roar!"

With a roar, a phantom image emerged from its mouth, a ghostly figure in tattered grey cloth. As soon as it appeared, the surrounding lake water turned black.

It could vaguely be seen that this had once been a woman, now with a ferocious and utterly filthy appearance.

Slave Ghost!

The word inexplicably popped into Su He's mind.

This must be White Tiger's Slave Ghost.

As soon as the Slave Ghost emerged, it lunged towards Green Snake. It floated over Su He's head, and Su He bit at it.

Crunch!

His teeth met, biting into empty air. His teeth passed through the Slave Ghost's body, but he couldn't grasp it.

This Slave Ghost was ethereal, without a physical form.

When attacked, the Slave Ghost retaliated, stabbing a dagger at Su He's turtle shell. A grating, teeth-chattering sound echoed, but the dagger failed to pierce the shell.

"Roar!"

White Tiger roared again, bubbles churning in its mouth and nose.

It was an exotic beast. Although it couldn't achieve sentience, its intelligence was only slightly higher than that of ordinary beasts. Yet, it knew it had fallen into a trap.

This turtle was the prey its master had sent it to hunt. The prey had teamed up with a long worm to counterattack it! White Tiger roared, and the Slave Ghost abandoned Su He, brandishing its dagger and charging at Green Snake.

White Tiger wasn't stupid. It could sense that Green Snake posed a greater threat to it than the turtle—this Green Snake could use demon arts! It could suppress it here and kill it from a distance! Green Snake coiled and dodged the Slave Ghost's attack.

This ugly thing was unreasonable; it could attack the snake, but the snake couldn't hit it.

Green Snake twisted its body to evade the Slave Ghost's dagger and shot out a water arrow. The water arrow passed through the Slave Ghost's ethereal form, unable to harm it.

Su He narrowed his eyes and turned to charge at White Tiger.

To catch the leader, first capture the king! Kill the Slave Ghost by killing the tiger first!